Ashgabat vs Newcastle upon Tyne

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Ashgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat; Ашгабат, pronounced [ɑʃʁɑˈbɑt], Persian: عشق آباد‎; Russian: Ашхабад), formerly named Poltoratsk (Russian: Полтора́цк, IPA: [pəltɐˈratsk]) between 1919 and 1927, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It is situated between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range in Central Asia. It is also near the Iran-Turkmenistan border. The city was founded in 1881 on the basis of an Ahal Teke tribal village, and made the capital of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924.

Much of the city was destroyed by the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake but has since been extensively rebuilt under the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov’s "White City" urban renewal project, resulting in monumental projects sheathed in costly white marble. The Soviet-era Karakum Canal runs through the city, carrying waters from the Amu Darya from east to west. Since 2019, the city has been recognized as having one of the highest costs of living in the world largely due to Turkmenistan's inflation and import issues.

Source: Wikipedia

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Newcastle upon Tyne (, locally (listen)), often shortened to simply Newcastle, is a city in Tyne and Wear. On the northern bank of the River Tyne, it is 8.5 mi (13.7 km) from the North Sea. Newcastle is the most-populous city in North East England and forms the core of the Tyneside conurbation, the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the UK Core Cities Group, as well as the Eurocities network of European cities. It was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it became a county of itself, a status it retained until becoming part of Tyne and Wear in 1974. Newcastle is a part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority. The regional nickname and dialect for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie. The city developed around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son Robert Curthose.

In the 14th century, the city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the River Tyne, was amongst the world's largest ship-building and ship-repairing centres.Newcastle's economy includes corporate headquarters, learning, digital technology, retail, tourism, and cultural centres, from which the city contributes £13 billion towards the United Kingdom's GVA. Among its icons are Newcastle United FC and the Tyne Bridge. Since 1981, the city has hosted the Great North Run, a half marathon which attracts over 57,000 runners each year.

Source: Wikipedia